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Vukić Dugac A, Vergles M, Škrinjarić Cincar S, Bulat Kardum L, Lampalo M, Popović-Grle S, Ostojić J, Tokić Vuksan-Ćusa T, Vrbica Ž, Lozo Vukovac E, Tudorić N. Are We Missing the Opportunity to Disseminate GOLD Recommendations Through AECOPD Discharge Letters? Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis 2023; 18:985-993. [PMID: 37260546 PMCID: PMC10228528 DOI: 10.2147/copd.s408307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Acute exacerbations in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) lead to poor outcomes and increased burden for patients and healthcare systems. The Global Initiative for COPD (GOLD) includes specific recommendations for AECOPD interventions, discharge criteria, and follow-up. Aligning the AECOPD discharge letters (DL) with GOLD guidelines could facilitate dissemination of recommendations among general practitioners (GPs). Purpose This study was conducted to assess the compliance of DL with the GOLD recommendations in Croatia. Methods Pre-pandemic DL of patients presenting for AECOPD to emergency room (ER) were analyzed and stratified by clinical decision to hospitalize (HDL) or discharge patients for outpatient treatment (ERDL). Experienced pulmonologists checked the information from DL against guidelines by using online study-specific questionnaires. Results In total, 225 HDL and 368 ERDL were analyzed. In most cases, the GOLD ABCD categories (85% HDL, 92% ERDL) or the spirometry-based degree of severity (90% HDL, 91% ERDL) were not included. The number of AEs in the previous year was recorded, but the specific frequent exacerbator phenotype not explicitly stated. The AE phenotype was included in two thirds of HDL and one third of ERDL. The blood eosinophil count was frequently available, but not considered decision-relevant information. Adjustments of previous maintenance therapy, mostly escalation, were recommended in 58.4% HDL and 27.9% ERDL, respectively. Education on proper use of inhalers was recommended only in 15.6% of HDL. Smoking cessation measures were advised in 23.1% HDL and 7.9% ERDL; pulmonary rehabilitation in 35.6% HDL and 0.8% ERDL. Early follow-up was frequently advised (>50%), but rarely appointed. Conclusion Significant deficiencies in compliance with the GOLD guidelines were identified, translating into a missed opportunity for GPs to become acquainted with GOLD recommendations. These findings emphasize the necessity to increase compliance with guidelines first at specialist level and consequent standardization of DL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Vukić Dugac
- Clinic for Respiratory Diseases, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
- School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Mirna Vergles
- Department of Pulmonology, Clinical Hospital Dubrava, Zagreb, Croatia
| | | | | | - Marina Lampalo
- Clinic for Respiratory Diseases, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Sanja Popović-Grle
- Clinic for Respiratory Diseases, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
- School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Jelena Ostojić
- Pulmonary Outpatient Clinic, Special Hospital for Pulmonary Diseases, Zagreb, Croatia
| | | | - Žarko Vrbica
- Department of Internal Medicine, Dubrovnik General Hospital, Dubrovnik, Croatia
- University Study Programme Nursing, University of Dubrovnik, Dubrovnik, Croatia
| | | | - Neven Tudorić
- Pulmonary Outpatient Clinic, St. Catherine Specialty Hospital, Zagreb, Croatia
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Cross AJ, Thomas D, Liang J, Abramson MJ, George J, Zairina E. Educational interventions for health professionals managing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in primary care. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2022; 5:CD012652. [PMID: 35514131 PMCID: PMC9073270 DOI: 10.1002/14651858.cd012652.pub2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common, preventable and treatable health condition. COPD is associated with substantial burden on morbidity, mortality and healthcare resources. OBJECTIVES To review existing evidence for educational interventions delivered to health professionals managing COPD in the primary care setting. SEARCH METHODS We searched the Cochrane Airways Trials Register from inception to May 2021. The Register includes records from the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, Embase, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Allied and Complementary Medicine Database (AMED) and PsycINFO. We also searched online trial registries and reference lists of included studies. SELECTION CRITERIA We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and cluster-RCTs. Eligible studies tested educational interventions aimed at any health professionals involved in the management of COPD in primary care. Educational interventions were defined as interventions aimed at upskilling, improving or refreshing existing knowledge of health professionals in the diagnosis and management of COPD. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Two review authors independently reviewed abstracts and full texts of eligible studies, extracted data and assessed the risk of bias of included studies. We conducted meta-analyses where possible and used random-effects models to yield summary estimates of effect (mean differences (MDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs)). We performed narrative synthesis when meta-analysis was not possible. We assessed the overall certainty of evidence for each outcome using Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE). Primary outcomes were: 1) proportion of COPD diagnoses confirmed with spirometry; 2) proportion of patients with COPD referred to, participating in or completing pulmonary rehabilitation; and 3) proportion of patients with COPD prescribed respiratory medication consistent with guideline recommendations. MAIN RESULTS We identified 38 studies(22 cluster-RCTs and 16 RCTs) involving 4936 health professionals (reported in 19/38 studies) and 71,085 patient participants (reported in 25/38 studies). Thirty-six included studies evaluated interventions versus usual care; seven studies also reported a comparison between two or more interventions as part of a three- to five-arm RCT design. A range of simple to complex interventions were used across the studies, with common intervention features including education provided to health professionals via training sessions, workshops or online modules (31 studies), provision of practice support tools, tool kits and/or algorithms (10 studies), provision of guidelines (nine studies) and training on spirometry (five studies). Health professionals targeted by the interventions were most commonly general practitioners alone (20 studies) or in combination with nurses or allied health professionals (eight studies), and the majority of studies were conducted in general practice clinics. We identified performance bias as high risk for 33 studies. We also noted risk of selection, detection, attrition and reporting biases, although to a varying extent across studies. The evidence of efficacy was equivocal for all the three primary endpoints evaluated: 1) proportion of COPD diagnoses confirmed with spirometry (of the four studies that reported this outcome, two supported the intervention); 2) proportion of patients with COPD who are referred to, participate in or complete pulmonary rehabilitation (of the four studies that reported this outcome, two supported the intervention); and 3) proportion of patients with COPD prescribed respiratory medications consistent with guideline recommendations (12 studies reported this outcome, the majority evaluated multiple drug classes and reported a mixed effect). Additionally, the low quality of evidence and potential risk of bias make the interpretation more difficult. Moderate-quality evidence (downgraded due to risk of bias concerns) suggests that educational interventions for health professionals probably improve the proportion of patients with COPD vaccinated against influenza (three studies) and probably have little impact on the proportion of patients vaccinated against pneumococcal infection (two studies). Low-quality evidence suggests that educational interventions for health professionals may have little or no impact on the frequency of COPD exacerbations (10 studies). There was a high degree of heterogeneity in the reporting of health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Low-quality evidence suggests that educational interventions for health professionals may have little or no impact on HRQoL overall, and when using the COPD-specific HRQoL instrument, the St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (at six months MD 0.87, 95% CI -2.51 to 4.26; 2 studies, 406 participants, and at 12 months MD -0.43, 95% CI -1.52 to 0.67, 4 studies, 1646 participants; reduction in score indicates better health). Moderate-quality evidence suggests that educational interventions for health professionals may improve patient satisfaction with care (one study). We identified no studies that reported adverse outcomes. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS The evidence of efficacy was equivocal for educational interventions for health professionals in primary care on the proportion of COPD diagnoses confirmed with spirometry, the proportion of patients with COPD who participate in pulmonary rehabilitation, and the proportion of patients prescribed guideline-recommended COPD respiratory medications. Educational interventions for health professionals may improve influenza vaccination rates among patients with COPD and patient satisfaction with care. The quality of evidence for most outcomes was low or very low due to heterogeneity and methodological limitations of the studies included in the review, which means that there is uncertainty about the benefits of any currently published educational interventions for healthcare professionals to improve COPD management in primary care. Further well-designed RCTs are needed to investigate the effects of educational interventions delivered to health professionals managing COPD in the primary care setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda J Cross
- Centre for Medicine Use and Safety, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Australia
| | - Dennis Thomas
- Priority Research Centre for Healthy Lungs, Hunter Medical Research Institute, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, Australia
| | - Jenifer Liang
- Centre for Medicine Use and Safety, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Australia
| | - Michael J Abramson
- School of Public Health & Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Johnson George
- Centre for Medicine Use and Safety, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Australia
| | - Elida Zairina
- Department of Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, Indonesia
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Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Fibrinolysis vs Thoracoscopic Decortication for Early Empyema. Ann Thorac Surg 2020; 112:1632-1638. [PMID: 33253674 DOI: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2020.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Revised: 10/23/2020] [Accepted: 11/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Surgical decortication is recommended by national guidelines for management of early empyema, but intrapleural fibrinolysis is frequently used as a first-line therapy in clinical practice. This study compared the cost-effectiveness of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) decortication with intrapleural fibrinolysis for early empyema. METHODS A decision analysis model was developed. The base clinical case was a 65-year-old man with early empyema treated either by VATS decortication or intrapleural tissue plasminogen activator and deoxyribonuclease. The likelihood of key outcomes occurring was derived from the literature. Medicare diagnosis-related groups and manufacturers' drug prices were used for cost estimates. Successful treatment was defined as complete or nearly complete resolution of empyema on imaging. Effectiveness was defined as health utility 1 year after empyema. RESULTS Intrapleural tissue plasminogen activator and deoxyribonuclease were more cost-effective than VATS decortication for treating early empyema for the base clinical case. Surgical decortication had a slightly lower cost than fibrinolysis ($13,345 vs $13,965), but fibrinolysis had marginally higher effectiveness at 1 year (health utility of 0.80 vs 0.71). Therefore, fibrinolysis was the more cost-effective option. Sensitivity analyses found that fibrinolysis as the initial therapy was more cost-effective when the probability of success was greater than 60% or the initial cost was less than $13,000. CONCLUSIONS Surgical decortication and intrapleural fibrinolysis have nearly equivalent cost-effectiveness for early empyema in patients who can tolerate both procedures. Surgeons should consider patient-specific factors, as well as the cost and effectiveness of both modalities, when deciding on an initial treatment for early empyema.
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Adherence to Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease guidelines in the real world: current understanding, barriers, and solutions. Curr Opin Pulm Med 2020; 26:149-154. [PMID: 31834001 DOI: 10.1097/mcp.0000000000000655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW The Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) provides a comprehensive review and guidance for clinicians managing patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, adherence to GOLD guidelines has been suboptimal over the years. The current review summarizes the current body of literature addressing the multitude of reasons for the lack of adherence to GOLD guidelines in clinical practice. RECENT FINDINGS There continue to be several reasons for suboptimal adoption of GOLD guidelines in clinical practice. A primary and recurrent theme appears to be both delayed as well as missed diagnosis of COPD. There are several reasons for this including lack of awareness about current COPD guidelines, lack of availability as well as utilization of office spirometry and improper symptom assessment. Other issues include improper selection of proper pharmacotherapy options, misdiagnosis/mislabeling of COPD phenotypes, lack of smoking cessation counselling as well as enrollment in pulmonary rehabilitation. Potential solutions include adoption of clinical decision support systems, self-care models and careful phenotyping of COPD patients. SUMMARY There are currently several barriers for the adoption of GOLD guidelines into routine clinical practice. These barriers are all amenable to systematic solutions that will increase adherence to current GOLD guidelines.
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Sparks JA, Doyle TJ, He X, Pan B, Iannaccone C, Frits ML, Dellaripa P, Rosas IO, Lu B, Weinblatt ME, Shadick NA, Karlson EW. Incidence and predictors of dyspnea on exertion in a prospective cohort of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. ACR Open Rheumatol 2019; 1:4-15. [PMID: 30923795 PMCID: PMC6433160 DOI: 10.1002/acr2.1001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To investigate the incidence and predictors of dyspnea on exertion among subjects with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS We investigated dyspnea on exertion using a prospective cohort, the Brigham RA Sequential Study (BRASS). Clinically significant dyspnea on exertion was defined as a score of ≥3 (unable to ambulate without breathlessness or worse) on the validated Medical Research Council (MRC) scale (range 0-5). We analyzed subjects with MRC score <3 at BRASS baseline and ≥1 year of follow-up. The MRC scale was administered annually. We determined the incidence rate (IR) of dyspnea on exertion. We used Cox regression to estimate the HR for dyspnea on exertion occurring one year after potential predictors were assessed. RESULTS We analyzed 829 subjects with RA and no clinically significant dyspnea on exertion during mean follow-up of 3.0 years (SD 1.9). At baseline, mean age was 55.7 years (SD 13.6), 82.4% were female, and median RA duration was 8 years. During follow-up, 112 subjects (13.5%) developed incident dyspnea on exertion during 2,476 person-years of follow-up (IR 45.2 per 1000 person-years). Independent predictors of incident dyspnea on exertion were: older age (HR 1.03 per year, 95%CI 1.01-1.04), female sex (HR 2.22, 95%CI 1.14-4.29), mild dyspnea (HR 2.62, 95%CI 1.60-4.28), and worsened MDHAQ (HR 2.36 per unit, 95%CI 1.54-3.60). Methotrexate use, RA disease activity, and seropositivity were not associated with incident dyspnea on exertion. CONCLUSION Dyspnea on exertion occurred commonly in patients with RA. Older women with impaired physical function were especially vulnerable to developing dyspnea on exertion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey A. Sparks
- Brigham and Women’s Hospita, Boston, Massachusetts, and Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusetts
| | - Tracy J. Doyle
- Brigham and Women’s Hospita, Boston, Massachusetts, and Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusetts
| | - Xintong He
- Brigham and Women’s HospitalBostonMassachusetts
| | | | | | | | - Paul F. Dellaripa
- Brigham and Women’s Hospita, Boston, Massachusetts, and Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusetts
| | - Ivan O. Rosas
- Brigham and Women’s Hospita, Boston, Massachusetts, and Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusetts
| | - Bing Lu
- Brigham and Women’s Hospita, Boston, Massachusetts, and Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusetts
| | - Michael E. Weinblatt
- Brigham and Women’s Hospita, Boston, Massachusetts, and Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusetts
| | - Nancy A. Shadick
- Brigham and Women’s Hospita, Boston, Massachusetts, and Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusetts
| | - Elizabeth W. Karlson
- Brigham and Women’s Hospita, Boston, Massachusetts, and Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusetts
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Jouleh B, Erdal M, Eagan TM, Bakke P, Gulsvik A, Nielsen R. Guideline adherence in hospital recruited and population based COPD patients. BMC Pulm Med 2018; 18:195. [PMID: 30572869 PMCID: PMC6302492 DOI: 10.1186/s12890-018-0756-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2018] [Accepted: 11/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Evidence from several studies show poor guideline adherence to COPD treatment, but no such study has been undertaken in Norway. The objectives of this study, was to estimate and compare the guideline adherence to COPD treatment in general population-based and hospital-recruited COPD patients, and find possible predictors of guideline adherence. METHODS From the prospective, observational EconCOPD-study, we analysed guideline adherence for 90 population-based COPD cases compared to 245 hospital-recruited COPD patients. Overall guideline adherence was defined as correct pharmacological treatment, and influenza vaccination the preceding year, and having received smoking cessation advice. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed with the dichotomous outcome overall guideline adherence adjusting for relevant variables. RESULTS The overall guideline adherence for population-based COPD cases was 6.7%, significantly lower than the 29.8% overall guideline-adherence amongst hospital-recruited COPD patients. Adherence to pharmacological treatment guidelines was 10.0 and 35.5%, for the two recruitment sources, respectively. GOLD-stage 3 to 4 was associated with significantly better guideline adherence compared to GOLD-stage 2 (OR (95% CI) 18.9 (8.37,42.7)). The unadjusted difference between the two recruitment sources was completely explained by degree of airflow obstruction. CONCLUSION Overall guideline adherence was very low for both recruitment sources. We call for increased attention from authorities and healthcare personnel to improve the quality of care given to this patient group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bahareh Jouleh
- Department of Thoracic Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Marta Erdal
- Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, N-5021, Bergen, Norway. .,Haukeland, Universitetssjukehus, Laboratoriebygget, Jonas Lies veg 87, 5021, Bergen, Norway.
| | - Tomas Mikal Eagan
- Department of Thoracic Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.,Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, N-5021, Bergen, Norway
| | - Per Bakke
- Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, N-5021, Bergen, Norway
| | - Amund Gulsvik
- Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, N-5021, Bergen, Norway
| | - Rune Nielsen
- Department of Thoracic Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.,Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, N-5021, Bergen, Norway
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Hsieh MJ, Huang SY, Yang TM, Tao CW, Cheng SL, Lee CH, Kuo PH, Wu YK, Chen NH, Hsu WH, Hsu JY, Lin MS, Wang CC, Wei YF, Tsai YH. The impact of 2011 and 2017 Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (GOLD) guidelines on allocation and pharmacological management of patients with COPD in Taiwan: Taiwan Obstructive Lung Disease (TOLD) study. Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis 2018; 13:2949-2959. [PMID: 30310271 PMCID: PMC6165725 DOI: 10.2147/copd.s176065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND This nationwide study was performed to evaluate the evolution of distributions of patients with COPD according to the 2011 and 2017 Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (GOLD) guidelines and to assess the concordance between the prescribed medications and the pharmacological management recommended by the two distinct classification systems in Taiwan. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Data were retrospectively retrieved from stable COPD patients in 11 participating hospitals across Taiwan. Patients were grouped according to GOLD 2011 and 2017 guidelines respectively. Definitions of undertreatment and overtreatment were based on the pharmacological recommendations in the individual guidelines. RESULTS A total of 1,053 COPD patients were included. The percentages of patients in GOLD 2011 groups A, B, C and D were 18.4%, 40.6%, 6.7% and 34.2%, respectively. When reclassified according to the GOLD 2017, the percentages of group A and B increased to 23.3% and 63.2%, and groups C and D decreased to 1.9% and 11.6%, respectively. Up to 67% of patients in GOLD 2011 groups C and D were reclassified to GOLD 2017 groups A and B. The pharmacological concordance rate was 60.9% for GOLD 2011 and decreased to 44.9% for GOLD 2017. Overtreatment was found in 29.5% of patients according to GOLD 2011 and the rate increased to 46.1% when classified by the GOLD 2017. The major cause of overtreatment was unnecessary inhaled corticosteroids and the main cause of undertreatment was a lack of maintenance long-acting bronchodilators. CONCLUSION The distribution of COPD patients in Taiwan was more uneven with the GOLD 2017 than with the GOLD 2011. A pharmacological discordance to the guidelines was identified. Updated guidelines with reclassification of COPD patients resulted in more discordance between prescribed medications and the guidelines. Physicians should make proper adjustments of the prescriptions according to the updated guidelines to ensure the mostly appropriate treatment for COPD patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng-Jer Hsieh
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Chiayi Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang-Gung Medical foundation, Chiayi, Taiwan,
- Department of Respiratory Therapy, School of Medicine, Chang-Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan,
| | - Shu-Yi Huang
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Chiayi Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang-Gung Medical foundation, Chiayi, Taiwan,
| | - Tsung-Ming Yang
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Chiayi Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang-Gung Medical foundation, Chiayi, Taiwan,
| | - Chi-Wei Tao
- Department of Internal Medicine, Cheng Hsin General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Shih-Lung Cheng
- Department of Internal Medicine, Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, Taipei
| | - Chao-Hsien Lee
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, MacKay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Ping-Hung Kuo
- Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yao-Kuang Wu
- Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, New Taipei City, Taiwan
- School of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan
| | - Ning-Hung Chen
- Department of pulmonary and critical care medicine, LinKou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Wu-Huei Hsu
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Jeng-Yuan Hsu
- Division of Chest Medicine, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taiwan
| | - Ming-Shian Lin
- Dpartment of Internal Medicine, Ditmanson Medical Foundation, Chia-Yi Cristian Hospital, Chia-Yi, Taiwan
| | - Chin-Chou Wang
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang-Gung Medical Foundation, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Feng Wei
- Department of Internal Medicine E-Da Hospital, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Ying-Huang Tsai
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Chiayi Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang-Gung Medical foundation, Chiayi, Taiwan,
- Department of Respiratory Therapy, School of Medicine, Chang-Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan,
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Quality of life changes over time in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Curr Opin Pulm Med 2016; 22:125-9. [PMID: 26814143 DOI: 10.1097/mcp.0000000000000242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is often considered to be a disease in which an inevitable decline in lung function results in increasing dyspnea and deteriorating quality of life. This review summarizes recent data that calls this classic paradigm into question. Studies evaluating the effects of chronic sputum production, physical activity, and inhaled medications on quality of life and prognosis are also discussed. RECENT FINDINGS Chronic sputum production and level of dyspnea contribute at least as much to impairment of quality of life and prognosis as does abnormal lung function. An accelerated decline in FEV1 occurs in only half of the patients who develop COPD. Current pharmacotherapy has been shown to moderate disease progression and quality of life, although the effects are lost when inhaled corticosteroids are discontinued. Declining physical activity begins early in the course of COPD, but increasing activity levels result in improved quality of life and a slower decline in lung function. SUMMARY Symptoms and activity levels are as important as measuring FEV1 in determining disease severity, quality of life, and prognosis of COPD. Therapies exist that moderate the course of the disease, and small sustained increases in physical activity may slow physical deterioration and improve health-related quality of life.
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